Esser noted that promoting gender diversity is not just the right thing to do, it's smart business as women are an increasingly important consumer sector driving 65% of annual spending globally and 75% in the U.S.

Lansing, who was the third award recipient of the afternoon, got the biggest round of applause when said that "at some point we'll be at a conference like this and it won't be three white guys accepting the awards."

After the event Salaam Coleman Smith - a WICT board member and president of The Style Network, the premiere sponsor of this year's ceremony - acknowledged Lansing's point, adding that the gender imbalance of the honorees is not unusual for the annual event. WICT's view, she said, is to encourage more gender diversity, including at the very top of the industry, through inclusion.